In the context of mailpiece delivery, a self-mailer is a term used for identifying mailpieces which employ some portion of its content information or material to form a finished mailpiece, i.e., a mailpiece ready for delivery. In addition to certain efficiencies gained from the dual use of paper stock, i.e., as both envelope and content material, self-mailers mitigate the potential for disassociation of content material from the mailing envelope, i.e., preventing mail from being delivered to an incorrect address.
In the simplest form, a self-mailer may include a single sheet of paper having printed communications or text on one side thereof and a mailing address on the other. The sheet is then folded and stapled to conceal the printed communications while causing the mailing address to remain visible. Postage is then applied to the face of the mailpiece in preparation for delivery. This example simply shows that a self-mailer generally seeks to make dual use of the content material to both convey information while forming an envelope of a size and shape which is accepted by postal automation equipment. As such, the material and labor cost associated with combining content material with a container or envelope is minimized.
One such self-mailer includes flat mailpieces which are knurled along each edge of a four-sided rectangular mailpiece. These “flats”, as they are frequently called, employ face sheets of paper stock which are oversized relative to the internal content material/sheets such that the peripheral edges thereof extend beyond the edges of the internal sheets on all four sides. The peripheral edges are then deformation bound along the entire length to capture and enclose the content material. Such deformation binding is a process wherein, following plastic deformation of the sheets, the elastic properties thereof develop mechanical forces at or along the interface, which forces are sufficient to bind the sheets together. Alternatively, or additionally, deformation binding may also be viewed as a process wherein the individual fibers of paper stock, upon the application of sufficient pressure/force, interleave or “hook” to form a mechanical interlock. As such, the content material and face sheets may be produced at a single workstation, stacked together and bound without the need for other handling processes i.e., such as folding of the content material or insertion of the content material into an envelope. Furthermore, and, perhaps more importantly, a self-mailer which employs deformation binding eliminates the requirement for consumable materials such as glue, staples or clips to form the enclosure or bind the edges.
Notwithstanding the potential benefits achievable by deformation binding, drawbacks relating to the inability to closely control the lay-up, stacking and or registration of the sheet material offer some explanation for its lack of widespread acceptance and use. More specifically, prior art systems offer no suitable solution relating to the controlled lay-up of the internal content sheets relative to the external face sheets. That is, without adequate control of the relative placement of the sheet material, the deformation binding operation can inadvertently bind the internal content material, i.e., to itself or to the external face sheets.
Furthermore, while self-mailers do not require the use of consumable materials, such mailers typically employ prefabricated paper stock or specialty forms. That is, such mailers oftentimes incorporate unique fold lines, windows or feed apertures to facilitate fabrication or printing. These mailer sheets/forms are typically pre-glued using pressure sensitive or dual element adhesives. As a result, their unique design does not facilitate or accommodate the use of conventional paper stock, i.e., common size and paper thickness/consistency. Consequently, while certain mailpiece fabrication costs are reduced, others, i.e., such as the prefabricated paper stock used in its fabrication, are greatly increased.
Finally, prior art mailpiece fabrication systems are typically dedicated to fabricating a single type of mailpiece. For example, the deformation binding apparatus discussed above is a machine dedicated to the fabrication of a flats type mailpiece. To achieve a different mailpiece configuration, another mailpiece fabrication system must be employed. Consequently, if several mailpiece configurations are desirable, dedicated mailpiece fabrication systems are required, one for each mailpiece type.
A need, therefore, exists for a mailpiece fabrication system which enables fabrication of different mailpiece types, minimizes mechanical complexities, minimizes the use of consumable materials, and facilitates fabrication using conventional paper stock.